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Field Reports
By Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret., Director, and Col. Jim Pauls,
USAF-Ret., Council and Chapter Affairs, and Kris Ann Hegle
Bigger and Better
A record 171 council and chapter officers and 99 spouses traveled to Overland Park, Kan., to attend the sixth annual Chapter President’s Symposium, Sept. 11–13. The symposium, which is held in different regions of the country each year, drew delegates from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
A new aspect of this year’s symposium was a personal affairs workshop conducted by Capt. Bud
Schneeweis, USCG-Ret., director of MOAA’s Benefits Information
Department. Approximately 50 personal affairs representatives and 90 spouses attended the workshop, which outlined many of the challenges servicemembers and their families face when navigating the military system during times of crisis. Personal affairs representatives also received information on how to build or improve their chapters’ personal affairs tool kits.
“Overall, I thought it was very beneficial,” says Capt. Jeanne Thompson,
USAF-Ret., personal affairs representative for the El Paso (Texas) Chapter and former national president of the Society of Military Widows. “I’m always surprised by the lack of knowledge out there. It’s almost like
TRICARE For Life in terms of having to work to educate people about their benefits.”
At the symposium, participants had the opportunity to meet and share ideas with many of the people who head national
MOAA, including MOAA President Vice Adm. Norbert R. Ryan Jr., usn-Ret., who was accompanied by his wife, Judy. Also in attendance were members of the national board of directors, including Chairman of the Board Adm. Jerry Johnson,
USN-Ret.
Members of the national staff briefed delegates about MOAA’s legislative priorities for the coming year and described the various member services provided by the association, which range from career transition assistance to discount travel.
Two lucky members—Col. Joe Benson, USAR-Ret., of the Bluegrass Chapter in Lexington, Ky., and Col. Anthony
DeCarlo, USAF-Ret., of the Heartland of America Chapter in Bellevue, Neb.—each won a free, eight-day, seven-night, all-inclusive vacation for two to the SuperClubs Breezes resort of their choice, thanks to a raffle held by
MOAA Vacations.
Representatives from Pfizer Inc. briefed delegates about current issues in the pharmaceutical industry and conducted a health fair where participants were able to get their blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol tested for free.
Chapter and council members also learned more about the 75th Anniversary Campaign, through which
MOAA is seeking to raise $7.5 million for The Scholarship Fund of MOAA. Award ribbons will be presented to each chapter participating in the campaign, based on the percentage of members in the chapter who contribute.
To help kick things off, state council representatives from Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas presented Cindy Amos from the scholarship fund with donations for the 75th Anniversary Campaign. Leaders from the
Green Country Chapter in Tulsa, Okla., and the Ozark Empire Chapter in Springfield, Mo., also presented checks.
“When I brought the subject up, our chapter’s board of directors said, ‘Just make out a check,’” says Green Country Chapter President Lt. Col. Jim Webster,
USAF-Ret. “We agree wholeheartedly with the concept of the scholarship fund and want to support it.”
Participants also examined five key chapter-management goals, from legislative affairs to recruiting and retention. Chapter and council leaders then broke into small groups and discussed each goal. Members of the national staff or the national board of directors served as facilitators at these meetings, and during the closing session, delegates from each workshop shared their group’s recommendations on how to achieve these goals.
Participants and their spouses also attended several receptions and dinners, which allowed them to interact on a more personal level. At one dinner, chapter leaders from the
Ark-La-Tex (La.) Chapter, the El Paso (Texas) Chapter, the
Heart of America (Mo.) Chapter, the Highland Lakes (Texas)
Chapter, the Sunflower (Kan.) Chapter, the Southwest Illinois
Chapter, and the White River (Ind.) Chapter, accepted four- and five-star Levels of Excellence Awards, which are given out to top-notch chapters, on behalf of their fellow chapter members.
Next year’s symposium will bring together council and chapter leaders from the western United States and will be held in Lake Tahoe, Nev.
Report Card 2003
By any standard, 2003 was a very successful year in our department. We started off in the spring by hosting the annual Council Presidents’ Seminar and, as usual, asked the presidents to “Storm the Hill” in support of MOAA’s legislative agenda.
This year’s effort focused on the sometimes contentious issue of concurrent receipt. Although nearly a majority of the House of Representatives supported our fight for equity on this issue, until just recently the legislation had been bogged down over—what else?—funding. All year we urged all of you, our members, chapter and non-chapter alike, to continue the fight started by your state representatives in the spring. And, though it truly was an association-wide effort, the willingness of our 100,000-plus chapter members to pitch in and help when asked—to make the phone calls, to send the letters and e-mails, to ask the questions of their legislators—played a key role in the ultimate success of this effort. Our thanks to each of you.
In September, we hosted our sixth Chapter Presidents’ Symposium, once again in the Midwest. A record 174 chapter presidents, their successors-to-be, and personal affairs representatives, representing more than 23,000 chapter members, convened in Overland Park, Kan., just outside of Kansas City, Kan., over a period of three days to discuss and debate issues and develop plans for how to best manage a chapter and provide primary-level personal affairs assistance to those chapter members in need. As we have experienced during our six-year run, these chapter leaders came to town “loaded for bear.” Based just on their energy level, it was immediately obvious that this intensive symposium would pay dividends—for both their chapter members and for the association as a whole. When they return to their chapters and put the ideas and recommendations they helped develop into play—ideas on recruiting, retention, community involvement, personal affairs, and legislative activism—watch out! If their zeal is any indication, their respective organizations will be the beneficiaries of some great ideas on how to do things better.
Although it comes as no surprise, once again, recruiting new members—especially active duty, Guard, and Reserve officers—into chapters will continue to be a top priority in 2004. So, if you are not a chapter member, don’t be surprised if some day (or night) you get a phone call from a chapter representative living in your area (a representative who might have been to the symposium) asking you, “Why aren’t you a member of your local MOAA chapter?” What is your response going to be? You better make it a good one, because your chapters surely have proven their worth in 2003 and left little doubt that chapter membership is a key adjunct to your association membership and that, “Chapters are, in every sense, the place to be!”
On a sadder note (for us), CWO4 Lew Tolleson, USCG-Ret., director of MOAA’s Benefits Information Department, retired in October after 17 years of service to the TROA/MOAA community. Lew and his predecessor Lt. Col. Ed Gryczynski, USA-Ret., were mainstays in our chapter visitation program, collectively having visited more chapters than anybody on record. Like Ed, Lew’s knowledge of the military benefits and entitlements world was without peer. Together they formed a team that was unbeatable—to the point that the DoD asked MOAA for permission to reprint publications they had written! On behalf of my department and all of our councils and chapters, we wish Lew fair winds and following seas. He will be a tough act to follow, but we have a great replacement already on board, Capt. Bud Schneeweis, USCG-Ret.
Finally, on behalf of our staff, it has been a pleasure working with you in 2003. Your support, cooperation, and ultimate success make it all worthwhile. Have a great holiday season, and we look forward to working with you in 2004, our 75th anniversary year as an association.
Col. Chris Giaimo, USAF-Ret.
Director, Council and Chapter Affairs
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